Tunes workshops – learn to play traditional tunes such as jigs, polkas, hornpipes and reels for use in music sessions and country dancing, in the company of a friendly group led by Gavin Atkin. The workshops are on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month from the 23rd September.
In the workshops, we play slowly to start with and then speed up to dance tempo. Typical instruments might be melodeon, fiddle, concertina, mandolin, mouthorgan, whistle or banjo, but we'll be just as happy if you pitch up with a recorder, a saxophone, a guitar or a piano. Reading music isn't necessary, though it definitely helps!
The group play for a local dance twice a year, and there's a regular 'play together' session in the bar on the first Sunday evening of each month.
Song workshops – Regular workshops led by Julie and Gavin Atkin concentrating on traditional and old fashioned songs from 8pm on the first Tuesday of the month at The Gun and Spitroast, Horsmonden, from the 6th October until next summer. Admission is free.
As well as having fun, the aims are to help singers: warm up effectively and safely, be more confident and be heard, and to help ensure they make a musical sound when they open their mouths, and tell their songs' stories as effectively as possible. We sing together without accompanying instruments.
Over two hours we work on three songs each month, which adds up to a really good sing!
The lyrics of the songs and brief samples of how the tunes go as a reminder are added to the singdanceandplay.net website after each workshop.
For information see
http://singdanceandplay.net, call Gavin Atkin at 07985 522734 or email gmatkin@gmail.com